Social media merchandising and advertising platform

ABSTRACT

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, a social media merchandising and advertising platform may be provided. The platform may enable any third party website, page, or entity referred to herein as an “advertiser” to post interactive content on a publisher&#39;s website. The interactive content may comprise, for example, a customizable badge. The platform may enable the advertiser to create, customize, and deploy the badge for display and access on the publisher&#39;s specified domain. Moreover, the platform may enable the advertiser to provide the publisher with various specifications and elements to be integrated into a customized badge and, in turn, provide the customized badge to a publisher. Either the publisher or advertiser, individually or collectively, may then post the advertiser&#39;s badge to a website.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/122,050 filed on Dec. 15, 2020, which issues on Oct. 3, 2023 as U.S.Pat. No. 11,776,019, which is a Division of U.S. application Ser. No.14/559,062 filed on Dec. 3, 2014, which issued on Dec. 15, 2020 as U.S.Pat. No. 10,867,323, which claims priority under the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/911,623 filed on Dec. 3, 2014, which areincorporated herein by reference.

It is intended that the referenced application may be applicable to theconcepts and embodiments disclosed herein, even if such concepts andembodiments are disclosed in the referenced applications with differentlimitations and configurations and described using different examplesand terminology.

BACKGROUND

Social network advertising, also social media targeting is a group ofterms that are used to describe forms of online advertising that focuson social networking sites. One of the major benefits of advertising ona social networking site (e.g. Facebook) is that advertisers can takeadvantage of the users' demographic information and target their adsappropriately.

Social media targeting combines current targeting options (likegeo-targeting, behavioral targeting, socio-psychographic targeting,etc.), to make detailed target group identification possible. Withsocial media targeting, advertisements are distributed to users based oninformation gathered from target group profiles and users may sharethose advertisements through their social networks.

Social network advertising is not necessarily the same as social mediaadvertising. Social media targeting is a method of optimizing socialmedia advertising by using profile data to deliver advertisementsdirectly to individual users. Social media targeting refers to theprocess of matching social network users to target groups that have beenspecified by the advertiser.

There is a need to expand the capabilities (e.g., social mediatetargeted data and social network advertising) available to the socialmedia platform to online advertisements published on platforms outsideof the social media platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The drawings contain representations of various trademarksand copyrights owned by the Applicants. In addition, the drawings maycontain other marks owned by third parties and are being used forillustrative purposes only. All rights to various trademarks andcopyrights represented herein, except those belonging to theirrespective owners, are vested in and the property of the Applicants. TheApplicants retain and reserve all rights in their trademarks andcopyrights included herein, and grant permission to reproduce thematerial only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent andfor no other purpose.

Furthermore, the drawings may contain text or captions that may explaincertain embodiments of the present disclosure. This text is included forillustrative, non-limiting, explanatory purposes of certain embodimentsdetailed in the present disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram architecture of a platform consistentwith embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a badge consistent with embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a badge consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates yet another embodiment of a badge consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5A illustrates a customization control panel consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5B illustrates another embodiment of the customization controlpanel consistent with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5C illustrates yet another embodiment of the customization controlpanel consistent with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an advertisement associated with a badge consistentwith embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a publication control panel consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a published badge consistent with embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates an electronic commerce integration consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates an ad-sharing integration consistent withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating on embodiment of a method forproviding the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a computing device operative to performthe method of FIG. 11 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar elements.While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described,modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to theelements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described hereinmay be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to thedisclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description doesnot limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure isdefined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers.It should be understood that these headers are used as references andare not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosedunder the header.

I. Platform Overview

This brief overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts ina simplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This brief overview is not intended to identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor isthis brief overview intended to be used to limit the claimed subjectmatter's scope.

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, a social mediamerchandising and advertising platform may be provided. The platform mayenable any third party website, page, or entity referred to herein as an“advertiser” to post interactive content on a publisher's website. Theinteractive content may comprise, for example, a customizable badge. Theplatform may enable the advertiser to create, customize, and deploy thebadge for display and access on the publisher's specified domain.Moreover, the platform may enable the advertiser to provide thepublisher with various specifications and elements to be integrated intoa customized badge and, in turn, provide the customized badge to apublisher. Either the publisher or advertiser, individually orcollectively, may then post the advertiser's badge to a website.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a set of user-interface(UI) controls with the badge. The UI controls may enable a user tointeract with the advertiser, the publisher, or any other third partieswhile visiting a website to which the badge is published (e.g., thepublisher's website). The UI controls may comprise, for example, abutton, a URL, a text, a graphic, or any combination thereof. Thecontrols may be configured to cause a communication of informationand/or interaction between the user and the advertiser, the publisher,the platform, and/or any other third party application or websiteassociated therewith.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, the socialmedia merchandising and advertising platform may be operative to performa plurality of back-end operations associated with the publication ofthe badge. For example, the platform may track visitors of a website onto which the badge is published. The platform may be enabled to monitorvisitor activity and trigger a set of operations in response to certainvisitor activities. The operations may be specific to an advertiserassociated with the badge, while integrating with, for example, thepublisher's website and/or any other third party module available on topublisher's website.

Though terms such as ‘advertiser,’ publisher,' and ‘distributor’ areused throughout the present disclosure, it should be understood thatthese terms are used for explanatory and illustrative purposes only. Anadvertiser may comprise any individual or entity providing content to bedisplayed in a badge. Moreover, a publisher may comprise any individualor entity having an electronic document, forum, website, application, orany other form of virtual real-estate capable of displaying the badge.Finally, the term ‘badge’ is used to describe a combination of graphicaland/or textual representations associated with, at least in part, thecontent provided by, for example, the advertiser.

Both the foregoing brief overview and the following detailed descriptionprovide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoingbrief overview and the following detailed description should not beconsidered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may beprovided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodimentsmay be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinationsdescribed in the detailed description.

II. Platform Configuration

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of an architecture forproviding the social media merchandising and advertising platform 100.The platform may be used by, for example, but not limited to, anadvertiser, a publisher, and/or a distributor. As will be detailed inthe “Badge Registration” section of this disclosure, the platform maycomprise a control panel unique to the type of user accessing theplatform.

For example, an advertiser may access the platform and be provided witha control panel 105 enabling the advertiser to register and customize atleast one badge. A publisher may access the platform and be providedwith a control panel to, for example, manage, monitor, and select badgesfor publications.

The control panel may be hosted by, for example, an administrator of theplatform. The control panel may provide the administrator with a set ofadministrative controls for defining the features and properties of thebadge. In this way, the administrator of the platform may retain controlover the type of badge advertisers may register. In addition, theadministrator of the platform may be enabled to monitor and maintain anapproval process for each registered badge, thereby ensuring that thebadge is acceptable for publication.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the administrator may be,for example, an advertising network or other type of distributorconnecting advertisers and publishers. In this way, the platform maycomprise a centralized interface enabling advertisers to register andcustomize badges, while allowing publishers to select and integratebadges onto a website.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, the platformmay be integrated with, for example, an administrative portal on awebsite. In these scenarios, the publisher of the website may access theadministrative portal to exercise administrative control over theplatform. The administrative portal may comprise an advertiser login andan administrator login. The advertiser login may provide an advertiser'scontrol panel enabling the visitors of the website to register for abadge specific to the website publisher. Similarly, the administratorlogin may provide the publisher of the website an administrative controlpanel with administrative controls over the platform. In this way, theadvertiser may be enabled to register and customize a badge for thepublisher's website while the publisher may be enabled to define andmonitor the properties and publication of the badge.

It should be understood that an advertiser, publisher, and/ordistributor need not all be separate entities. Rather, an advertisersmay also be the publisher, and, moreover, the publisher may also be adistributor across multiple channels of publication. Accordingly, apublisher may register for a badge and publish the badge on thepublisher's own website. Similarly, a distributor may register for abadge and distribute the badge across many different channels ofpublication.

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, once registered,each badge may be saved and stored in database 110 associated with theplatform. As the platform may be accessible in a cloud-computingenvironment, the database may be likewise accessible in thecloud-computing environment. Consistent with embodiments of the presentinvention, a unique identifier 115 may be assigned to each registeredbadge in the database. In turn, the platform may use the uniqueidentifier to associate the badge with, for example, the advertiser.

As will be detailed in the “Badge Registration” section of thisdisclosure, the platform may be operative to publish a badge on awebsite 125, via network 120, when the unique identifier associated withthe badge is embedded within a uniform resource link (URL) to thewebsite. In this way, the badge that is published to the website may bedetermined by the unique identifier embedded in the URL leading to thewebsite. A visitor accessing the publisher's site through a URLcomprising the embedded identifier would be displayed with a badge onthe website associated with the unique identifier.

The badge may be positioned anywhere on the website or be overlaid, forexample, as a frame or a pop-out tied to the website. Furthermore, insome embodiments, the badge may be present on each page 130 of thewebsite if a visitor navigated to any page of the website through, forexample, a URL comprising the embedded identifier or by the placement ofa cookie that may ensure the availability of the badge on every pagethroughout the publisher's specified domains 135.

As will be detailed in the “Badge Integration” section of thisdisclosure, the unique identifier may be further integrated within theoperation of the set of controls provided with each badge. Accordingly,whenever an interaction with the badge occurs through the badgecontrols, the interaction may be logged by the platform and associatedwith the unique identifier. Moreover, the platform may be operative totrack interactions with any portion of a publishing website andassociate those interactions with the unique identifier of the badge. Inthis way, the platform may perform operations in response to thoseinteractions based, at least in part, the integrated unique identifier.

III. Badge Module

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a unique badge for anadvertiser. FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a badge 200. A badgemay be, for example, a combination of graphical and textual elementswithin a discrete graphical user interface (GUI) element. The GUI maycomprise various graphical and textual representations including, butnot limited to, for example, selectable buttons, URLs, embedded richmedia content (i.e., html5, flash, audio, or video components). Thebadge may comprise a border encompassing a first portion associated withan advertiser, a second portion associated with various social mediaplatforms, and a third portion associated with a publisher.

In accordance to embodiments of the present invention, the badge maycomprise a first portion 205 for displaying a name and logo of theentity advertising the badge. The first portion may be selectable by avisitor of the website comprising the badge and, upon selection, routethe visitor to a website associated with, or otherwise specified by, theadvertiser. Moreover, in some embodiments, the visitor may presentedwith a dialog box comprising information associated with the entity. Thedialog box may be displayed to the user upon a detection of a mousehovering over the first portion of the badge.

A badge consistent with embodiments of the present invention maycomprise a second portion 210 having a plurality of selectable controls.The selectable controls may enable a visitor to interact with varioussocial media platforms associated with the advertiser. As will bedetailed below, the advertiser, when registering for the badge, mayspecify a plurality of social media pages associated with theadvertiser. In turn, the badge may comprise the plurality of selectablecontrols associated with functions provided by the corresponding socialmedia platform. In this way, the advertiser may enable visitors tointeract with the advertiser's various social media platforms throughthe publisher's website. In some embodiments, the selectable controlsmay be displayed within the badge, while in other embodiments, theselectable controls may be displayed in conjunction with the badge.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, the badgemay comprise a third portion having, for example, a message from thepublisher and at least one sharing control for interacting with thepublisher's site. The at least one sharing control may enable, uponselection, a visitor of the publisher's site to share the website invarious forms, including, but not limited to, for example, emailing ormessaging the website displaying the badge, posting the website onvarious social media platforms, inviting others to view or promote thewebsite through the various social media platforms, and the like. Thesharing options may be presented to the visitor of the website in, forexample, a pop-up window or, alternatively, in a drop-down menuoriginating from the location of the sharing control.

Each time the website publishing the badge is shared through the atleast one sharing control on the badge, the resulting URL created forsharing the website may comprise the unique identifier associated withthe badge. In this way, visitors who are routed to the website through aURL generated by the sharing control on the badge may be presented withthe same badge that was used to generate the URL leading to the site.

In various embodiments, the badge may be embodied in, for example, anapplication, including, but not limited to, for example, a webapplication, an android application, an iPhone application or any otherprogrammable platform. In some embodiments, upon clicking of the badgeon a publisher's website, a full-page version of the badge may beloaded. Alternatively, a larger version of the badge may be displayedwithin a frame of the publisher's website.

In yet further embodiments, a user may be prompted to download andinstall the application associated with the badge onto their device. Inthis way, the badge may operate as a stand-alone application. FIGS. 3and 4 illustrate embodiments of a full-page version 300 and applicationversion 400 of the badge. Though not illustrated, the full-page andapplication versions of the badge may comprise additional areas for adspace that may be specified during the registration of the badge.

IV. Badge Registration

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a control panel forallowing an advertiser to register for a badge. FIGS. 5A-5C illustratesembodiments of a control panel accessible to advertisers of theplatform. FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment of the control panel 105before any inputs are received, whereas FIGS. 5B and 5C illustratesembodiments of the control panel 105 after having received at least aportion of the inputs. The control panel may be hosted on a publisher'ssite, such as, for example, Frogtoon™. In this way, Frogtoon™ may act asthe administrator of the control panel, specifying what the look, feel,and features may be provided to an advertiser accessing the controlpanel.

In some embodiments, the control panel may comprise three portions. Afirst portion 505 may register a badge, a second portion 510 maycustomize the controls associated with the badge, and the third portion515 may provide controls the publication and distribution of the badge.

The first portion of an embodiment of the control panel may ask theadvertiser to specify a name of the entity for which the badge is beingregistered, as well as a link to a website associated with that entity.Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, theadvertiser may be asked to specify a page for the entity on a thirdparty social media platform such as, but not limited to, for example,Facebook. The first portion may further comprise search features used toassist an advertiser in specifying their third party social mediacontent.

The platform may be operative to then access the third party socialmedia platform and retrieve, from the specified page, informationassociated with the entity. The information retrieved may comprise, forexample, a name, a logo, a description, as well as any other informationaccessible to the platform. The advertiser may be promoted with arequest to grant the platform permission to access the aforementionedinformation from the third party social media platform.

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, once the platformretrieves the third party information associated with the advertiser'sentity, it may dynamically populate a preview of the badge displayed inthe third portion of the control panel. The previewed badge maycomprise, but not be limited to, for example, the name of the entity anda logo for the entity as retrieved from the third party social mediapage. The entity name and logo may be displayed on the first portion ofthe badge as specified in the “Badge Module” section above. Thoughreference is made to a third party social media page, it should beunderstood that embodiments of the present invention may comprise aplatform operative to retrieve information stored in any databaseaccessible to the platform.

Various embodiments of the present invention may enable the advertiserto select a level badge integration with a publisher's website. Forexample, the advertiser may opt to become a premium badge holder. Aswill be detailed in the “Badge Integration” section of this disclosure,premium badges may be integrated into the operation and publication ofthe publisher's website. The various levels of integration permissibleto the advertiser may be configured by the administrator of theplatform. In this way, the administrator may ensure that any integrationlevel to which the advertiser subscribes may be accommodated by thepublisher.

For example, an advertiser may register his affiliate codes to sharerevenue on sales made on the publisher's site when the publisher's sitedisplays the user's badge. In addition, the control panel may beexpanded to provide a premium badge advertiser with an option to add apromotional message 600 that may be displayed in conjunction with thebadge, as illustrated in FIG. 6 . Moreover, the advertiser may registerto expand his presence and association with the virtual ad real-estateon the publisher's site. For example, the advertiser may specifyadditional ads or a repository of ads that may be displayed in portionsof the publisher's site designated for ad placement. In turn, theadvertiser may share in the revenue generated when visitors click-thruthe ads, so long as the advertiser's badge is displayed on thepublisher's site at the time of the click-thru.

Embodiments of the control panel may comprise a second portion allowingan advertiser to affiliate various social media platforms with thebadge. In order to affiliate the advertiser's social media platformswith the badge, some embodiments of the present invention may requirethe advertiser to upgrade to a premium badge level. The advertiser maybe asked to specify a URL associated with each affiliated social mediaplatform page. In response, the platform may dynamically preview andpopulate icons associated with each specified social media platform.

The icons may be displayed on the second portion of the badge asdisclosed above in the “Badge Module” section of this disclosure. Inthis way, a visitor of the publisher's webpage may be enabled tointeract with the advertiser, through the badge, on the various socialmedia platforms specified by the advertiser. The extent to which socialmedia platforms may be affiliated with the badge may be customizable by,for example, either the administrator of the platform or the registrantadvertiser. For example, though Facebook, Twitter, Linked, Google+,YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram, Tubmlr, and MySpace are availablefor affiliation, other social media platforms may be added to thecontrol panel for integration.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, the controlpanel may comprise a third portion for publishing the badge. The thirdportion may comprise a preview of the badge along with a URL comprisinga unique identifier associated with the badge. The URL may be addressedto a publisher's website that is hosting the platform. However, when theplatform is hosted by a distributor, or, for example, an advertisingnetwork, the advertiser may be able to select the publishers that arepermitted to display the badge. In turn, the advertiser may be providedwith the same unique identifier, but with various URLs to the variouspublishers selected by the advertiser.

Having the URLs with the advertiser's badge identifier embedded therein,the advertiser may serve as his own distributor. For example, theadvertiser may distribute the URLs through a plurality of channels,thereby directing various visitors the publisher's site. When, in turn,the visitors arrive at the publisher's site through the URL, thevisitors will view the publisher's site with the advertiser's badgedisplayed therein. In this way, the badge may serve as across-promotional tool, incentivizing both the advertiser and thedistributor to distribute the embedded URL.

In various embodiments, the URL with the unique identifier may begenerated upon a user's selection of the “Get Code” button, while inother embodiments the unique identifier may be generated upon, forexample, a payment processing stage. The payment invoiced to the usermay be calculated based on, at least in part, the integration optionsthe advertiser selected during registration.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment for providing an administrator of theplatform with a snippet of code 700 that may be inserted into a websitein order to publish the badge. The administrator may be provided withseveral options regarding the type of badge to be published, withcorresponding snippets of code for each type. In addition, theadministrator may be provided with additional controls that may enable,for example, a customization of a size for each badge publication.

Embodiments of the present invention may further provide a control panelfor facilitating the registration of publishers and/or distributors ofregistered badges. Those control panel give control over publication, aswell as control over advertiser control panel customization features.For example, in various embodiments, each platform administrator may beprovided with a degree of customization as to what features a badge maycomprise, as well as the level of integration the badge may have withthe administrator's platform. In this way, the administrator may ensurethat each badge registered is compatible with the publishing forumsavailable to the platform.

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, each badgeconfigured by an advertiser may be seamlessly and dynamically updated.For example, an advertiser may add, remove, update and/or otherwisemodify any of the information, controls, and settings associated witheach badge. Upon receiving such updates, the platform may be configuredto update the badge without any change to the unique identifierassociated with the badge. In this way, neither the advertiser nor thepublisher need to make further changes in any of the infrastructureassociated with badge distribution and publication.

In further embodiments, some badge modifications made by an advertisermay be dynamically applied to each badge associated with the advertiser.By way of non-limiting example, an advertiser may update, through thecontrol panel, the advertiser's Facebook page. In turn, the platform maydynamically push this update across all badges without further action bythe user. Moreover, as mentioned above, the unique identifiers mayremain unchanged for each badge, thereby eliminating any correspondingaction for the advertisers, distributers, and the publishers in themaintenance, distribution, and publication of the badges. Although theaforementioned is made with reference to an advertiser's modification,the same seamless and dynamic update may apply when badge changes areperformed by any party have administrative privileges to the badge.

V. Badge Integration

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a badge 200 published on a website125. Having the badge published to the website, the platform mayfacilitate various cross-promotional concepts enabled by the badge. Forinstance, as mentioned above, visitors to a website displaying the badgemay use a sharing control of the badge to share the website. In theprocess of distribution, the sharing control embeds the uniqueidentifier associated with the badge into a shared URL. In turn, whenany visitor accessing the website through the URL is displayed with thebadge baring the control that generated the shared URL.

In this way, the advertiser or the page's visitors may be incentivizedto share the publisher's page, as the advertiser's badge would bedisplayed on the page when using the embedded URL to share the page.Moreover, publishers may be incentivized to allocate a portion of theirvirtual-real estate to the advertiser's badge knowing that it may, inturn, incentivize the advertiser to attract the advertiser's user baseto publisher's site.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present invention, the platformmay enable the advertiser and the publisher to monetize from thepublication of the badge. As mentioned above, the advertiser mayregister for a premium badge integration level. The premium badgeintegration level may comprise a plurality of additional options forintegrating the advertiser's badge into the publisher's website.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , a publisher may offer the saleof various third party products and/or services 300 on the publisher'swebsite. The publisher may have an affiliate code with the third partyselling those products in services. In certain embodiments of thepresent invention, the publisher may offer to replace the publisher'sown affiliate with an advertiser's affiliate code as provided duringbadge registration. Accordingly, when the platform detects that atransaction is made on the publisher's website, it may associate thetransaction with the unique identifier tied to the badge.

As another example, and as illustrated in FIG. 10 , the premium badgeintegration level may enable the advertiser to share in ad revenuethrough the publisher's website. For example, the platform may track aclick-thru rate of the ads on the publisher's site, and associate theclick-thru rate with the unique identifier of the badge. Furthermore,the platform may integrate the advertiser's own ad network into thepublisher's website. For example, the publisher's website may comprise aplurality of locations for ad placement 1010. Through the control panel,the advertiser may specify particular ads or a repository of ads thatmay be advertised on the publisher's website. In turn, the platform mayaccess those specified ads, place in the publisher's ad locations, andmonitor the click-thru rates associated with the ads. In this way, theplatform may enable the advertiser to extend the advertiser's own adnetwork to the publisher's site while enabling the publisher andadvertiser to share-in the resultant ad revenue.

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, an administratorportal may provide an administrator with a control panel to monitorvarious data and statics aggregated by the platform. As previouslyexplained, the administrator of the platform may be, for example, butnot limited to, an advertiser, a publisher, or a distributor. The datamay be associated with the unique identifier of each badge. In this way,an administrator of the platform may intelligible track and monitor theusage of each badge on each website the badge is published on.

The administrative control panel may enable the administrator to defineeditable properties associated with the badge and the integration of thebadge on a corresponding publisher's website. By way of non-limitingexample, the administrator may add and/or remove various integrationoptions for a badge to ensure, for example, compatible of the badge withits corresponding publisher's website. The administrative portal mayfurther provide demographical information associated with the variousvisitors to website, categorized by, for example, the unique identifierused to access the website. In general, the administrative platform ofthe portal may enable the administrator may further define, monitor, andcontrol the extent and rules associated with the publication,integration, and electronic commerce associated with each badge.

VI. Platform Operation

FIG. 11 is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in amethod 1100 consistent with an embodiment of the disclosure forproviding the platform of the present disclosure. Method 1100 may beimplemented using a computing device 1200 as described in more detailbelow with respect to FIG. 12 .

Although method 1100 has been described to be performed by computingdevice 1200, it should be understood that, in some embodiments,different operations may be performed by different networked elements inoperative communication with computing device 1200. For example, server110 and/or computing device 1200 may be employed in the performance ofsome or all of the stages in method 1100. Moreover, server 110 may beconfigured much like computing device 1200 and, in some instances, beone in the same embodiment.

Although the stages illustrated by the flow charts are disclosed in aparticular order, it should be understood that the order is disclosedfor illustrative purposes only. Stages may be combined, separated,reordered, and various intermediary stages may exist. Accordingly, itshould be understood that the various stages illustrated within the flowchart may be, in various embodiments, performed in arrangements thatdiffer from the ones illustrated. Moreover, various stages may be addedor removed from the flow charts without altering or deterring from thefundamental scope of the depicted methods and systems disclosed herein.Ways to implement the stages of method 1100 will be described in greaterdetail below.

Method 1100 may begin at starting block 1105 and proceed to stage 1110where computing device 1200 may register a badge or receive a badgeregistration. The registration may be facilitated through a controlpanel as described above. During the registration processing, computingdevice 1200 may receive a plurality of user inputs. One of such inputsmay include, for example, a link to a third-party social media platform(e.g., Facebook). Once the link is received by computing device 1200,computing device 1200 may access the link to retrieve informationassociated with a plurality of the other user inputs to be enteredduring the registration process. Information inputted by a user andreceived by computing device 1200 may include, but not be limited to,for example, a website, analytics ID (e.g., visitor tracking), andaffiliate codes (e.g., revenue sharing) associated with the user (e.g.,advertiser).

In addition, the registration process may prompt the user to input linksto the user's social media platforms. Inputs by the user in this portionmay cause the badge to display social media icons with which viewers ofthe badge may interact. Once the registration process is complete, theuser may be provided with a snippet of code comprising a uniqueidentifier. The snipped of code may be inserted into a publisherswebsite to cause a display of the registered badge.

From stage 1110, method 1100 may advance to stage 1120 where computingdevice 1200 may integrate the badge or receive a badge integration.Badge integration may comprise a publisher inserting the snippet of codeinto a website. The snippet of code may cause a visitor of the websiteto view the badge on the website. Accordingly, computing device 1200 maybe configured to load the badge onto the publisher's website each time aviewer accesses the publisher's website.

In various embodiments, a viewer may access the publisher's website witha unique identifier embedded into the URL used to access the website. Inthis case, computing device 1200 may load, on the publisher's website,based on the unique identifier embedded into the URL.

Method 1100 may continue to stage 1130 where computing device 1200 mayreceive badge interaction. For example, as mentioned above, theadvertiser, during badge registration, may have specified a plurality ofsocial media platforms with which the badge may be associated. Eachsocial media platform may comprise an icon. The icon may be configuredto enable a user to share the publisher's website via the correspondingsocial media platform. During the sharing process, computing device 1200may be configured to embed the unique identifier associated with thebadge into the hyperlink shared via the corresponding social mediaplatform. In this way, when other viewers access the publishers websitevia the hyperlink shared through social media, the badge used to sharethe website is loaded by computing device 1200 (as detailed in stage1120).

Method 1100 may proceed to stage 1140 where computing device 1200 mayprovide badge analytics. For example, having the snippet of codeembedded on the publisher's website may enable computing device 1200 toaccess data associated with the viewer accessing the website. In thisway, computing device 1200 may be enabled to provided analytics data onthe viewers of the website. Moreover, as mentioned above, analytics mayinclude tracking ad-revenue and affiliate revenue sharing on thepublisher's site as detailed above.

VII. Platform Architecture

The platform of the present disclosure may be embodied as, for example,but not be limited to, a website, a web application, a desktopapplication, and a mobile application compatible with a computingdevice. The computing device may comprise, but not be limited to, adesktop computer, laptop, a tablet, or mobile telecommunications device.Moreover, the platform may be hosted on a centralized server, such as,for example, a cloud computing service. Although method 1100 has beendescribed to be performed by a computing device 1200, it should beunderstood that, in some embodiments, different operations may beperformed by different networked elements in operative communicationwith computing device 1200.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise a system having amemory storage and a processing unit. The processing unit coupled to thememory storage, wherein the processing unit is configured to perform thestages of method 1100.

In addition, the processing unit and memory storage may be configuredfor: receiving a plurality of inputs from a user; creating a graphicaluser interface (GUI) element based on the plurality of inputs form theuser; associating a unique identifier with the GUI element; causing adisplay of the GUI element on a website when the unique identifierassociated with the GUI element is embedded within a uniform resourcelocator (URL) used to access the website.

Receiving the plurality of inputs may comprises receiving at least oneof the following inputs: a name associated with the user, a websiteassociated with the user, and a location of at least one social mediaplatform associated with the user.

Creating the GUI element based on the plurality of inputs from the usermay comprise retrieving information associated with the user based onthe at least one social media platform associated with the user.

Creating the GUI element based on the plurality of inputs from the usermay comprise including, within the GUI element, at least one hyperlinkto the at least one social media platform associated with the user.

The processing unit may further be operative for embedding a hyperlinkwithin the GUI element, the hyperlink enabling a visitor of the websiteto, upon selection, share the website through at least one third partyplatform; receiving, from the visitor of the website, a selection of thehyperlink; displaying a plurality of sharing options; receiving aselection of at least one of the sharing options; and sharing the URL ofthe website having the unique identifier embedded therein.

Receiving the plurality of inputs from the user may comprise receivinginformation associated with an e-commerce platform tied to the user. Insuch embodiments, the processing unit may be further configured for:detecting a visitor activity on the website, wherein the visitoractivity is associated with the e-commerce platform; and determiningthat the visitor has at least one of the following: accessed the websitethrough the URL comprising the unique identifier, and a cookiecomprising the unique identifier; retrieving the e-commerce platforminformation tied to the user associated with the unique identifier; andsharing in a revenue generated by the visitor activity on the e-commerceplatform.

Receiving the plurality of inputs from the user may comprise receivingat least one of the following: a textual advertisement to be displayedin conjunction with the GUI element; a graphical advertisement to bedisplayed in conjunction with the GUI element; and a server comprisingat least one advertisement to be displayed in conjunction with the GUIelement.

In such embodiments, the processing unit may be further configured for:detecting a visitor activity on the website, wherein the visitoractivity is associated with advertisement; and determining that thevisitor has at least one of the following: accessed the website throughthe URL comprising the unique identifier, and a cookie comprising theunique identifier; sharing in a revenue generated by the visitoractivity associated with the advertisement.

In such embodiments, the processing unit may be further configured for:receiving a modification to at least one of the plurality of inputs; andmodifying the GUI element based on the modification to the at least oneinput of the plurality of inputs used to create the GUI element.

Modifying the GUI element based on the modification to the at least oneinput of the plurality of inputs may comprise maintaining the sameunique identifier associated with the GUI element. In such embodiments,the processing unit may be further configured for: determining that atleast one additional GUI element has been created for the user; andmodifying the at least one additional GUI element based on themodification to the at least one input of the plurality of inputs usedto create the at least one additional GUI element.

Modifying the at least one additional GUI element based on themodification to the at least one input of the plurality of inputs maycomprise maintaining the same unique identifier associated with the atleast one additional GUI element.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a system including computing device 1200.Consistent with an embodiment of the disclosure, the aforementionedmemory storage and processing unit may be implemented in a computingdevice, such as computing device 1200 of FIG. 12 . Any suitablecombination of hardware, software, or firmware may be used to implementthe memory storage and processing unit. For example, the memory storageand processing unit may be implemented with computing device 1200 or anyof other computing devices 1218, in combination with computing device1200. The aforementioned system, device, and processors are examples andother systems, devices, and processors may comprise the aforementionedmemory storage and processing unit, consistent with embodiments of thedisclosure.

With reference to FIG. 12 , a system consistent with an embodiment ofthe disclosure may include a computing device, such as computing device1200. In a basic configuration, computing device 1200 may include atleast one processing unit 1202 and a system memory 1204. Depending onthe configuration and type of computing device, system memory 1204 maycomprise, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory(RAM)), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or anycombination. System memory 1204 may include operating system 1205, oneor more programming modules 1206, and may include a program data 1207.Operating system 1205, for example, may be suitable for controllingcomputing device 1200's operation. In one embodiment, programmingmodules 1206 may include control panel application 1220. Furthermore,embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with agraphics library, other operating systems, or any other applicationprogram and is not limited to any particular application or system. Thisbasic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 12 by those components withina dashed line 1208.

Computing device 1200 may have additional features or functionality. Forexample, computing device 1200 may also include additional data storagedevices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magneticdisks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated inFIG. 12 by a removable storage 1209 and a non-removable storage 1210.Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. System memory 1204,removable storage 1209, and non-removable storage 1210 are all computerstorage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage mediamay include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasableread-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to storeinformation and which can be accessed by computing device 1200. Any suchcomputer storage media may be part of device 1200. Computing device 1200may also have input device(s) 1212 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, asound input device, a touch input device, etc. Output device(s) 1214such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included. Theaforementioned devices are examples and others may be used.

Computing device 1200 may also contain a communication connection 1216that may allow device 1200 to communicate with other computing devices1218, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, forexample, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection 1216 isone example of communication media. Communication media may typically beembodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” may describe a signal that hasone or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media may include wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radiofrequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media. The term computerreadable media as used herein may include both storage media andcommunication media.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may bestored in system memory 1204, including operating system 1205. Whileexecuting on processing unit 1202, programming modules 1206 (e.g.,control panel application 1220) may perform processes including, forexample, one or more of method 1100's stages as described above. Theaforementioned process is an example, and processing unit 1202 mayperform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure may includeelectronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications,spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentationapplications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.

Generally, consistent with embodiments of the disclosure, programmodules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, andother types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that mayimplement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of thedisclosure may be practiced with other computer system configurations,including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of thedisclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

Furthermore, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced in anelectrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged orintegrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizinga microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. Embodiments of the disclosure may also be practicedusing other technologies capable of performing logical operations suchas, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited tomechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition,embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced within a general purposecomputer or in any other circuits or systems.

Embodiments of the disclosure, for example, may be implemented as acomputer process (method), a computing system, or as an article ofmanufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readablemedia. The computer program product may be a computer storage mediareadable by a computer system and encoding a computer program ofinstructions for executing a computer process. The computer programproduct may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by acomputing system and encoding a computer program of instructions forexecuting a computer process. Accordingly, the present disclosure may beembodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, residentsoftware, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the presentdisclosure may take the form of a computer program product on acomputer-usable or computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the mediumfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. Acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that cancontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for useby or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example butnot limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagationmedium. More specific computer-readable medium examples (anon-exhaustive list), the computer-readable medium may include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable mediumcould even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program isprinted, as the program can be electronically captured, via, forinstance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled,interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary,and then stored in a computer memory.

Embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, are described abovewith reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations ofmethods, systems, and computer program products according to embodimentsof the disclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur outof the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality/acts involved.

While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described, otherembodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the presentdisclosure have been described as being associated with data stored inmemory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or readfrom other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storagedevices, like hard disks, solid state storage (e.g., USB drive), or aCD-ROM, a carrier wave from the Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM.Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner,including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages,without departing from the disclosure.

All rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vestedin and the property of the Applicant. The Applicant retains and reservesall rights in the code included herein, and grants permission toreproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of thegranted patent and for no other purpose.

VIII. Claims

While the specification includes examples, the disclosure's scope isindicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specificationhas been described in language specific to structural features and/ormethodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or actsdescribed above. Rather, the specific features and acts described aboveare disclosed as example for embodiments of the disclosure.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawing discloseany additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claimsbelow, the disclosures are not dedicated to the public and the right tofile one or more applications to claims such additional disclosures isreserved.

The following is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a pluralityof inputs from a user; creating a graphical user interface (GUI) elementbased on the plurality of inputs form the user; associating a uniqueidentifier with the GUI element; and causing a display of the GUIelement on a website when the unique identifier associated with the GUIelement is embedded within a uniform resource locator (URL) used toaccess the website.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving theplurality of inputs comprises receiving at least one of the followinginputs: a name associated with the user, a website associated with theuser, and a location of at least one social media platform associatedwith the user.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein creating the GUIelement based on the plurality of inputs from the user comprisesretrieving information associated with the user based on the at leastone social media platform associated with the user.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein creating the GUI element based on the plurality ofinputs from the user comprises including, within the GUI element, atleast one hyperlink to the at least one social media platform associatedwith the user.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding ahyperlink within the GUI element, the hyperlink enabling a visitor ofthe website to, upon selection, share the website through at least onethird party platform.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:receiving, from the visitor of the website, a selection of thehyperlink; displaying a plurality of sharing options; receiving aselection of at least one of the sharing options; and sharing the URL ofthe website having the unique identifier embedded therein.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of inputs from the usercomprises receiving information associated with an e-commerce platformtied to the user.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:detecting a visitor activity on the website, wherein the visitoractivity is associated with the e-commerce platform; and determiningthat the visitor has at least one of the following: accessed the websitethrough the URL comprising the unique identifier, and a cookiecomprising the unique identifier; retrieving the e-commerce platforminformation tied to the user associated with the unique identifier; andsharing in a revenue generated by the visitor activity on the e-commerceplatform.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality ofinputs from the user comprises receiving at least one of the following:a textual advertisement to be displayed in conjunction with the GUIelement; a graphical advertisement to be displayed in conjunction withthe GUI element; and a server comprising at least one advertisement tobe displayed in conjunction with the GUI element.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising: detecting a visitor activity on thewebsite, wherein the visitor activity is associated with advertisement;and determining that the visitor has at least one of the following:accessed the website through the URL comprising the unique identifier,and a cookie comprising the unique identifier; sharing in a revenuegenerated by the visitor activity associated with the advertisement. 11.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a modification toat least one of the plurality of inputs; and modifying the GUI elementbased on the modification to the at least one input of the plurality ofinputs used to create the GUI element, wherein modifying the GUI elementbased on the modification to the at least one input of the plurality ofinputs comprises maintaining the same unique identifier associated withthe GUI element.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:determining that at least one additional GUI element has been createdfor the user; and modifying the at least one additional GUI elementbased on the modification to the at least one input of the plurality ofinputs used to create the at least one additional GUI element, whereinmodifying the at least one additional GUI element based on themodification to the at least one input of the plurality of inputscomprises maintaining the same unique identifier associated with the atleast one additional GUI element.
 13. A computer-readable mediumcomprising a set of instructions which, when executed by a computer,perform a method, the method executed by the set of instructionscomprising: receiving a badge registration comprising a uniqueidentifier; generating a snippet of code associated with the badge;causing a display of the badge when a website comprising the snippet ofcode is loaded; facilitating a user interaction with the displayedbadge, wherein facilitating the user interaction comprises embedding theunique identifier into a uniform resource locator (URL) used to sharethe website; and causing a display of the badge when the website isaccessed via the URL comprising the unique identifier.
 14. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein causing a display of thebadge comprises displaying a plurality of icons associated with socialmedia platforms of an entity associated with the registered badge. 15.The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising enabling,via a selection of at least one of the plurality of icons, a sharing ofthe website on a social media platform associated with the selectedicon.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprisingtracking data associated with viewers who access the website displayingthe badge.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, whereintracking comprising employing an affiliate code for revenue sharing. 18.A system comprising: a memory storage; and a processing unit couple tothe memory storage, wherein the processing unit is configured to:receive a plurality of inputs from a user, create a graphical userinterface (GUI) element based on the plurality of inputs form the user,associate a unique identifier with the GUI element, and cause a displayof the GUI element on a website when the unique identifier associatedwith the GUI element is embedded within a uniform resource locator (URL)used to access the website.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein theprocessing unit is further configured to embed a hyperlink within theGUI element, the hyperlink enabling a visitor of the website to, uponselection, share the website through at least one third party platform.20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processing unit is furtherconfigured to: receive, from the visitor of the website, a selection ofthe hyperlink, display a plurality of sharing options, receive aselection of at least one of the sharing options, and share the URL ofthe website having the unique identifier embedded therein.